If you're a fan of a frangipane tart, you'll definitely love this pear flan Bourdaloue recipe.
Originally named after a pastry chef who worked at a patisserie in Paris in the 9th arrondissement, this fragrant and floral pear tart is baked with an almond frangipane layer, all sitting within a shortcrust pastry layer.
It is sweet, floral, nutty and tastes amazing when served with a dollop of cream or vanilla ice cream.
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Yields:
10 serving(s)
Prep Time:
40 mins
Cook Time:
55 mins
Total Time:
1 hr 35 mins
Cal/Serv:
394
Ingredients
For the pastry
175g
plain flour, plus extra to dust
1Tbsp.
caster sugar
75g
unsalted cold butter, cubed
1
medium egg yolk
For the filling
125g
caster sugar
125g
unsalted butter, softened
125g
ground almonds
25g
plain flour
2
medium eggs, beaten
drop of almond essence
410g
tin pear quarters
1Tbsp.
apricot jam, to glaze
Directions
Step 1
Make the pastry. Put the flour, caster sugar and a pinch of salt into a food processor with the butter, and pulse until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. In a jug, mix the egg yolk with 2tbsp ice-cold water. Pour this over the flour mixture and whiz until the pastry forms large flakes. Tip on to a work surface lightly dusted with flour, gently bring together into a ball, then flatten to make a disc. Wrap in clingfilm and chill for 20min.
Step 2
Roll the pastry out on a lightly floured surface until it is the thickness of a £1 coin, rotating it in quarter turns as you go to keep it circular. Use the rolling pin to lift the pastry into a 23cm loose-bottomed tart tin. Line the tin, encouraging the pastry into the corners and allowing it to overhang the edge. Chill again for 20min.
Step 3
Preheat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan) mark 6. Remove pastry case from the fridge. Cut o the overhanging pastry by rolling the rolling pin across the top of the tin. Prick base all over with a fork, then cover with a large rectangle of crumpled baking parchment and fill with baking beans. Slide on to a baking tray, and bake for 15min in the middle of the oven. Carefully remove the beans and set them aside. Return the pastry case to the oven and bake for a further 10min until sandy to the touch.
Step 4
For the filling, cream the sugar and butter together into a large bowl. Fold through the almonds, flour, eggs and almond essence. Spoon into pastry case and smooth the surface. Select about 10 even-sized pear quarters, and press, dome-side up, into the mixture in a flower shape. Bake in centre of oven for about 30-40min until puffed slightly and golden. Once cooled, mix jam with 1tsp boiling water until smooth, and brush all over tart.
You can also use tinned apricots, in place of the pears if you prefer.
Serve with lashings of double cream or a dollop of vanilla ice cream, if you like.
An experienced and highly skilled team of food writers, stylists and digital content producers, the Good Housekeeping Cookery Team is a close-knit squad of food obsessives. Cookery Editor Emma Franklin is our resident chilli obsessive and barbecue expert, who spends an inordinate amount of time on holidays poking round the local supermarkets seeking out new and exciting foods. Senior Cookery Writer Alice Shields is a former pastry chef and baking fanatic who loves making bread and would have peanut butter with everything if she could. Her favourite carb is pasta, and our vibrant green spaghetti is her weeknight go-to. Lover of all things savoury, Senior Cookery Writer Grace Evans can be found eating crispy corn and nocellara olives at every opportunity, and will take the cheeseboard over dessert any time (though she cannot resist a slice of tres leches cake). With a wealth of professional kitchen know-how, culinary training and years of experience between them, they are all dedicated to ensuring every Good Housekeeping recipe is the best it can be, so you can trust they’ll work (and if they don’t – we’ll have the answer for why*) every time (*90% of the time the answer is: “buy an separate oven thermometer”!).
